Ooh, look what came through the post, the re-issue of Arthur Russell's Instrumentals, courtesy of Steve Knutson's Audika. The gorgeous cover reproduces one of Arthur's favourite childlike drawings on a mauve background, the booklet includes a collection of photos by Yuko Nonomura, the Shingon Buddhist priest who inspired Arthur to write Instrumentals, only one of which I'd seen before, and the poignant recollections of Arthur collaborator/friend/supporter Ernie Brooks.

To cap it all, the music has been remastered and sounds as gorgeous as Steve promised when he first contacted me about the release back in late 2015. Two additional instrumental pieces--"Sketch for 'Face of Helen'" and "Reach One"--are included in the re-issue. Needless to say, I was delighted to be invited to write the liner notes. A line picked out for the packaging runs: "The sparkling, multidimensional results take the listener closer to Arthur's coast-to-coast journey; his iconoclastic determination to combine pop and art music; and his desire to make music that would resonate in the present and, ultimately, across time." Thank you, Steve, and thank you, Tom Lee. So, so much of Arthur's extraordinary renaissance is down to your work and love.